Background-Available studies of the built environment and the BMI of children and youth suggest a contemporaneous association with neighborhood greenness in neighborhoods with high population density. The current study tests whether greenness and residential density are independently associated with 2-year changes in the BMI of children and youth.

This research suggests that aspects of the built environment are determinants of child weight status, ostensibly by influencing physical activity and dietary behaviors.

The lipid lowering medication, fenofibrate (FF), is a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARα) agonist, possessing beneficial effects for type 2 diabetic nephropathy (DN). We investigated whether FF can prevent the development of type 1 DN, and the underlying mechanisms. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin in C57BL/6J mice. Mice were treated with oral gavage of FF at 100mg/kg every other day for 3 and 6 months. Diabetes-induced renal oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, lipid and collagen accumulation, and renal dysfunction were accompanied by significant decrease in PI3K, Akt, and GSK-3β phosphorylation as well as an increase in the nuclear accumulation of Fyn [a negative regulator of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2)]. All these adverse effects were significantly attenuated by FF treatment. FF also significantly increased fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) expression and enhanced Nrf2 function in diabetic and non-diabetic kidneys. Moreover, FF-induced amelioration of diabetic renal damage, including the stimulation of PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β/Fyn pathway and the enhancement of Nrf2 function were abolished in FGF21-null mice, confirming the critical role of FGF21 in FF-induced renal protection. These results suggest for the first time that FF prevents the development of DN via up-regulating FGF21 and stimulating PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β/Fyn-mediated activation of the Nrf2 pathway.

Background: Few tools exist to directly measure the microsocial and physical environments of adolescents in circumstances where participatory observation is not practical or ethical. Yet measuring these environments is important as they are significantly associated with adolescent health-risk. For example, health-related behaviors such as cigarette smoking often occur in specific places where smoking may be relatively surreptitious.